William wakefield jordan



No. 626,703. Patented lune I3, |899. W. W. JORDAN. nusT PnooF wATcHcAsE.

-(Appleation led Sept. B, 1898.)

(No Model.)

.ELv

m: Nonms Firms co, whom-Luna., wAsmNaToN, D, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

VILLIAM VAKEFIELD JORDAN, OF HOPKINSVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HENRY J. SHARP, OFSAME PLACE. I

DUST-PROOF WATCHCASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 626,703, dated June 13, 189g.

Application filed September 8, 1898. Serial No. 690,517. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM WAKEEIELD JORDAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hopkinsville, in the county of Christian and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Watchcase, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in watchcases especially adapted to contain io pendant-set movements; and the object in view is to provide an improved construction` by which dust, dirt, and moisture are thoroughly excluded from entrance to the interior of the case, and the movement of the t5 timekeeper is sustained by a yieldable cushion, which minimizes the liability of breakage to the working elements when the watch is dropped and sustains a hard fall, the improved construction tending also to protect 2o the crystal from injury. The improvements may be embodied in open-face or hunting-case watches, and from one to three numbers orsizes of crystals maybe readily tted to the case and the bezel thereof,

because the-packing devices break the joints between the case and bezel, besides affording protection to the crystal and the movement.

My invention may be embodied in cases of different sizes and designs, and it reduces the expense of keeping the movement in running order, because so little dust can accumulate in the working parts that the movement requires cleaning only at long intervals, and it is only necessary to oil the parts at intervals of a year or more.

Vith these ends in view my invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

To enable others to understand the invention, I have illustrated the same in the accompanyin g drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation through a watchcase embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a section at right angles to Fig. 1 through the watch-pendant and the stem, the plane of the section being indicated by the dotted line 2 2 of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a 5o plan view with the bezel and crystal removed, illustrating the compressible packing-ring.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the elastic packing detached from the case-center.

Like numerals of reference denote like and corresponding parts in each of the several iig- 5 5' ures of the drawings.

The case-center 10 of my improved watchcase has the usual chamber 11 for the reception of themovement and the pendant 12, in which is journale'd the winding-arbor. The 6o case illustrated by the drawings is of the type known to those skilled in the art as an openface watch, and it is provided with the bezel 13, that lies iiush with the edge of the casecenter 10 when the bezel is properly attached. 65 To provide for the union of the bezel with the case according to my invention, I provide an externally-threaded flange 14, which is fast or integral with the case within that face thereof upon which the bezel is to be seated, 7o and the bezel is internally screw-threaded for readily applying it to the threaded flange 14 of the case-center. On the back of the casecenter is another externally-threaded flange 15, which is fast or integral with the casecenter adjacent to the flat face, against which the back plate 16 of the case is adapted to bear, and this back plate is internally threaded for the purpose of screwing it tightly to the flange 15 and against the flat bearing-face 8o of the case-center.

To render the case thoroughly dust and moisture proof, I provide an elastic packingring 17, which is arranged Within the casecenter and the flanges 14 15 thereof, so as to 85 have its edges extended beyond the edges of the llanges, and this packing-ring is ,thus exposed for contact with the bezel and the back plate to be compressed by these elements when they are screwed tightly upon the case- 9o center. This elastic packing ring is in a single continuous piece to occupy a position continuously within the case between the center 10 thereof and the watch-movement, and the Width of this elastic packing-ringeX-- ceeds the width of the case-center and its anges 14 15, whereby the edges of the packing-ring protrude beyond the adjacent edges of the flanges in order that the bezel and the back plate may engage with said packing-ring. 1 oo The movement 18 has its pillar-plates fitted Wit-hin the elastic packing-ring to engage therewith,and said packing-ring has the internal iianges 19 20, which engage with the pillar-plates of the movement. The movement is thus'seated within the packing-ring, to be held from displacement therein by the flanges 19, and said packing-ring is thus adaptedV to serve as a cushion for the movement and reduce the shock or jar upon the working elements of the watch-movement when the watch is dropped and its movement sustains a sudden shock, thus minimizing the liability of injury or breakage to the movement. The projecting edges of the elastic packing-ring, which project beyond the edges of the threaded flanges 14 15, are indicated by the numerals 2O 21 in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, and upon the edge 2O of this ring is seated the crystal 22, which is designed to be clamped in place between the bezel 13 and vthe packing-ring when said bezel is screwed tightly to the iiange 14 of the case-center.

The packing-ring is provided with a radial opening 23 at a point coincident with the casependant 12, and through this pendant and the radial opening of the packing-ring passes the stem 24, which has operative connection with the winding-train of the watch-movement, said stem fitting tightly in the opening 23 of the packing-ring and equipped with the usual crown 25.

The bezel 13 and back plate 15, respectivel f are milled or roughened as at 26 for the purpose of providing a secure grasp for the operators hand in rotating the bezel or back plate to screw the same upon or detach them from the threaded 'flanges of the casecenter.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that the back plate and the bezel operate to compress the projecting edges of the packing-ring when they are screwed tightly to the case-center, and thus secure exceedingly tight joints between the casecenter, the bezel, and the back plate. These tight joints thoroughly exclude the ad mission of dust, dirt, and moisture from the case. The watch-movement is sustained by the elastic ring to reduce the shock on the working elements when the watch is dropped, and the crystal is seated upon one edge of said ring, so as to be clamped between the latter and the bezel, thus affording protection to the crystal. It vill therefore be seen that the elastic packing-ring is operatively fitted to the case-center to afford a support for the watch-movement and a seat for the crystal, and this packing-ring is combined with the bezel and the back plate to be compressed thereby, to secure tight joints between the removable elements, to exclude water, and also to afford a tight joint around the winding-arbor to exclude dust from entering the movement through the aperture in which the arbor is located.

Vhile I have shown and described my improvement as embodied in an open face watchcase, it is evident that the improvements may be used in connection with hunting-case watches in a manner which will bewell understood by those skilled in the art.

Changes may be made in the form of some of the parts, while their essential features are retained and the spirit of the invention embodied. Hence I do not desire to be limited to the precise form of all the parts as shown, reserving the right to vary therefrom.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination of a case-centerhaving a thread ed ange, a packing-ring fitted within the case-center and having one edge thereof extended beyond its fiange, a crystal seated upon said packing-ring, and a bezel screwed to the threaded iiange to clamp the crystal between itself and the packing-rin g, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a case-center provided with the threaded iianges which project from opposite sides thereof, a packing-ring fitted within the case-center and the caselianges and having its edges extended beyond said flanges,a back plate screwed to one iiange of said case-center to im pinge directly against, and compress one edge of, the packing-ring, a crystal seated against the other edge of the packing-rin g, and a bezel screwed to the other flange of the case-center and clamping the crystal against the other edge of said packingring, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a case-center,a packing-ring iitted therein and compressed by the back plate and bezel, and a movement supported within the packing-ring to be cushion ed thereby within the case-center, substantially as described.

4. The combination ofa case-center,a packing-rin g arranged therein and provided with the supporting-flanges and a radial opening for the reception of a winding-stem, a movement iitted within the packing-ring and held against displacement by the flanges thereof, a back plate attached to the case-center, and a bezel secured to the opposite side of the case-center, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afliXed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM WA'KEFIELD JORDAN.

Vitnesses:

HENRY J. SHARP, l Louis YANcEY.

IOO

IIO 

